Paradise & Vodka (Saddles & Racks Book 6)

by Kimberly Knight

  "She was in love with me."

  "And so was I until I caught you with Lyssa."

  Who was Lyssa?

  "You should have known better since that was how we got together."

  "I hate you."

  "You're not my favorite person either, but the truth of the matter is that we're in this together. You signed the agreement, and you better be at the wedding tomorrow."

  "Whatever," Everleigh huffed before she stormed off.

  Being the prick that I was—my friends' words, not mine—I started to walk so Dougie knew that I was there. "Dougie," I greeted with a tilt of my head. "Nice night for a stroll, no?"

  He balked and looked around, but I kept walking and called over my shoulder, "See you tomorrow."

  My pace quickened. I was excited to tell Ashleigh what I'd witnessed, but when I opened the door to the room, I was greeted with her soft snores.

  I didn't remember falling asleep, or Nick coming back with my ice cream, but clearly, he had because he was sleeping next to me when I woke the next morning. It was the first morning that I'd woken up on my own. Usually, I stirred because Nick was groping me in some way.

  I went to the bathroom to freshen up so I could be the one to wake Nick up with my mouth, except on my way back to the bed, the phone rang. I sprinted to it, hoping to grab it before it rang another time. Nick rolled over but didn't open his eyes.

  "Hello?" I whispered.

  "Sister, sister," Everleigh screamed into the phone. "I'm getting married!"

  I snorted and still in a low voice, replied, "I know."

  "I'm so excited!"

  "I can tell."

  "I was calling to ask you to come get ready in my room. We're having breakfast and mimosas, and I really want you here."

  I looked down at Nick, and he was awake. I held my hand over the receiver. "Everleigh wants me to go to her room to get ready for the wedding and have breakfast with her."

  Nick sat up, the sheet pooling around his waist. My mouth watered, wanting to crawl back into bed and have him for breakfast instead. "You should go."

  "Really?"

  "I'll be fine. I'll order room service or something." He yawned.

  "Are you sure?"

  He nodded. "I know you're trying to mend your relationship. This will be good for you."

  "But—"

  "I'm a big boy, baby. I'll get ready and meet you there."

  "Okay." I nodded and then asked into the phone, "What's your room number, Evie?"

  My mother answered the door when I knocked on Everleigh's door. "Morning," I greeted.

  She reached out her arms for a hug. "Morning, honey."

  We embraced, and I stepped into the room. It was similar to the one I had, but it was larger, had a separate living room, and a better view of the ocean.

  "Breakfast is on its way," Everleigh stated and rushed to me, engulfing me in her arms.

  When we broke apart, I realized there was someone else in the room. I drew my head back when I recognized who it was. "Corinne?"

  "Hey, Ashleigh," she said with a small wave. Corinne was Everleigh's best friend from high school. I hadn't seen her the entire time I'd been in Fiji. In fact, I hadn't seen any of Everleigh's friends at the meet and greet. Only a couple of Douglas’s friends.

  We hugged. "I didn't know you were here."

  "Ah," she groaned. "I wasn't able to fly in with Evie and Doug, and then my flight got delayed in LA. I had to wait almost an entire day to get on a new one."

  "That sucks."

  She shrugged. "Yeah, but I'm here now, and our girl is getting married."

  "I'm getting married!" Everleigh yelled, raising her arms above her head in celebration.

  "I need coffee before I can handle your excitement." I chuckled.

  "There's some in the kitchen," Mom advised.

  "Kitchen?"

  She waved me to follow her around a corner, and sure enough, there was a tiny kitchen area. There was no stove or anything, but it did have a small fridge and microwave. I went straight for the coffee pot.

  "Nick was okay to let you leave?" Everleigh asked.

  "Let me leave?" I poured a cup of the java, leaving room for cream.

  "Yeah. You two have been attached at the hip since you've gotten here."

  "Because we're dating, and he came with me."

  "I know. I just mean, he'll find his way to the ceremony?"

  "I hope so," I snickered.

  There was a knock on the door, and Mom turned to answer it.

  "That must be our breakfast," Everleigh stated. "Sit, and let's eat. Afterward, there will be someone to come and do our hair and makeup."

  "All of us?" I asked as I sat at the round table.

  "Yep. Doug is paying for all of us to get pretty."

  I nodded, remembering again that my sister was marrying my ex—my ex, who I caught her cheating with. I wasn't sure if I would ever have answers as to why it turned out the way it did, but as I watched Everleigh buzz happily around the room, I decided not to bring up the past. I honestly didn't think I could see myself with Douglas, and maybe that night four years ago was a blessing in disguise. I just hoped my person was out there too. I wanted to wake up on my wedding day knowing I was marrying the love of my life. As I thought that, Nick fluttered into my mind.

  The one guy I had a solid connection with was not the guy for me. I paid him to put on this façade.

  And it fucking sucked.

  I had time to go back to get Nick in the room before the wedding started. When I entered the bure, he was standing in front of the mirror, adjusting his tie and wearing a light gray suit. I stopped in my tracks. Holy fucking shit, that man was the epitome of perfection.

  "Take a picture. It will last longer," he teased.

  I gawked at him through the reflection of the mirror. "I just might."

  He turned and came to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Everything go okay with your sister?"

  I nodded, my arms going around his neck. "Yeah. We ate, drank, and then got ready." I gestured down my body as though to show him that I did, in fact, get ready for the wedding.

  "Are you wearing any panties under this?" Nick fingered the hem of my purple dress that came to my knees.

  "Yes."

  "Take them off."

  I snorted. "Why? Last time you didn't do anything about it."

  His blue eyes narrowed. "Is that a challenge?"

  I lifted a shoulder. "Maybe."

  "Oh, baby." He laughed. "You're playing with fire."

  I whispered into his ear in a seductive tone, "I can handle it."

  He didn't miss a beat as he responded, "Then take your fucking panties off."

  The ceremony was being held on the beach—of course. Rows of white folding chairs were set up on either side of a white runner, and white lilies accented the inside chairs and the arbor where Everleigh and Douglas would say their vows. It was breathtaking, and as Nick escorted me to the front row on the bride's side, I was jealous. I never thought that I would have a beach wedding, but I did want something equally stunning. Maybe something on top of the Eiffel Tower or at the end of a dock at a lake. My sister was getting everything that I'd wanted—except the guy. One day I hoped my dream would come true.

  "This is my second wedding this month," Nick stated as we took our seats.

  "Really?"

  He nodded. "My buddy Brad got married."

  "Oh, right. Brad and Cassie." I remembered hearing their story on the way to Fiji. Brad was the last of Nick's friends to settle down.

  "Yep."

  "Did Cassie make him quit Saddles & Racks?" I knew about the scary stuff that went on in their story, but not how Brad stopped escorting. I was curious—or maybe it was wishful thinking on my part.

  "No." Nick shook his head. "He chose to leave the game."

  "Wow," I breathed. "He must be really in love then."

  "Yeah, and he's not the only one."

  "What do you mean?"

&n
bsp; "Gabe, Paul, and Vinny all quit after falling in love."

  "So, there's hope for you then?" I joked. "Once you fall in love, I mean."

  "Nah. I don't plan to ever fall in love. I think each of them had the desire to settle down eventually, but I don't have that yearning."

  "Oh." I frowned and then put a fake smile on my face. The more I got to know Nick, the more I was developing some sort of infatuation for him. How could I not? It didn't help that he was my boyfriend for a week. Maybe if it had only been one night, I wouldn't have a small crush on him. I wasn't sure.

  "Plus," Nick continued, "my boss would have my balls if I quit."

  "Why's that?"

  "Because of my friends. He's married a few of them, and he's sick of us all leaving the game."

  "He's ordained?"

  Nick shrugged. "Yeah, and even held the weddings at his house."

  "So, it's like a one-stop shop? Book a date, fall in love, and get married?"

  "Well, none of them have fallen in love with a client."

  "Oh." My shoulders sagged. "Of course not. That would be crazy."

  He leaned back and draped his arm across my shoulders as others started to take their seats. "Yeah, that would be pretty wild."

  One of Douglas's friends escorted my mom to her seat next to us, and then the Alexanders took their seats. Douglas took his spot next to the minister. His gaze locked with Nick and then narrowed. I knew they didn't like each other, but Douglas was seconds away from saying, "I do," so what was his problem?

  "Are you okay?" Nick whispered, breaking his stare with Douglas.

  I nodded. "I have to let it go if Everleigh is happy, right?"

  "I think you'd be surprised to learn—"

  "Here she comes," Mom gushed, stopping Nick from finishing what he was saying.

  Everyone stood as the music started to play.

  "Learn what?" I whisper-hissed.

  "I'll tell you when this is over."

  For the next thirty or so minutes, I watched my sister marry my ex, but the entire time I was curious about what Nick had to tell me.

  "It's an open bar, right?" Nick questioned as soon as the bride and groom walked off to take pictures.

  "I think so, but—"

  "Are you coming to take pictures with us?" Mom asked.

  "I—Can it wait? Nick needs—"

  "My thing can wait, honey," Nick chimed in. "Go take your pictures."

  I blinked. "But—"

  He cupped my cheek and looked into my eyes. "Trust me. Let all of this play out, and when you're done, we'll grab a drink."

  "Grab a drink?"

  "What I need to tell you would be easier to hear with a cocktail."

  "Excuse us," Mom said before she and Dad walked away. They probably thought we were fighting or something.

  "Why are you acting weird?" I questioned.

  "Just trust me." He kissed my lips softly, winked, and then walked away.

  Ashleigh was chomping at the bit. I didn't blame her, but I couldn't tell her what I saw the night before while she sat and watched them get married. I wanted her to be away from them so she could react the way she needed to. Plus, I wanted to tell her when I didn't have to whisper. Hell, I wanted to tell everyone in attendance that it was all a sham, except it was clear that Everleigh was doing it to help her family, and that meant she was helping Ashleigh too, even if it wasn't directly.

  While the family took pictures, I made my way to the reception. It was on the beach but more inland, so we weren’t walking in thick sand. Round tables were set up with white paper ball lanterns hanging above. It baffled me that they had gone to such lengths for a sham wedding. It must have cost fifty, sixty, maybe even one-hundred grand to pay for flights, hotel rooms for whoever he’d offered to pay for, and everything wedding related. While I knew people spent that kind of money on weddings, it amazed me that Dougie and Everleigh didn’t go to the courthouse in New York and get married to fulfill whatever needed to be done for their agreement to work.

  But fuck if I wasn’t going to stick it to him by enjoying the open bar.

  I ordered a drink for myself and one for Ashleigh before finding our assigned table. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see a text from Brad: In love yet?

  I snickered as I texted back: You should know me better than that.

  Brad: Don’t forget that I thought the same thing.

  Me: Yeah, well, you're a sucker.

  Brad: Say that to my face.

  I grinned, knowing he was joking.

  Me: Yeah, yeah. You kill a guy, and now you think you're some badass.

  Brad: I've killed a lot more than one.

  Me: I'm so scared.

  I pictured Brad laughing as he texted me back: Stop deflecting. I know you're in love.

  Me: Are you hard up for cash now that you're out of the game or what?

  I was referring to the bet. When we bet that he was going to be the next to fall, we hadn't bet anything, but with me, they put money up. Did that mean they thought I was more likely to fall than he was? Granted, I had bet my fake money on Galen. Now everyone thought that because I was spending a week in paradise with a woman, I was going to get so attached that I would fall head over heels in love with her.

  Brad: No, but you should start thinking about what you're going to do when you're out of the game.

  I grunted and replied: I'm not in love, you idiot.

  Brad: You still have time.

  Me: We have one more day until we leave.

  Brad: Yeah, but you've had several days already to start falling.

  Me: Who are you? Is this Cassie, or does she have your balls now?

  Brad: My balls are perfectly intact, thank you very much.

  Me: Well, I'm not in love, and you can tell all the guys that too. I expect cash when I get home.

  Brad: There's still time …

  I rolled my eyes as I set my phone on the table. I wasn't going to reply to him anymore. He was wrong. Yes, I adored Ashleigh and wanted the best for her, but I was also planning on calling Blake when we returned home and set up a date for her. Would a guy in love do that? I didn't think so.

  Ashleigh wasn't done with pictures by the time I finished my drink, so I drank hers too. The wait staff came by with trays of hors d'oeuvres, and I didn't hesitate to grab two handfuls from each tray. It didn't matter if it was Dougie or his father who was footing the bill. I was going to make sure I enjoyed it all.

  I was about to get up to grab another drink when I saw Ashleigh finally making her way to me. I stood and pulled out a chair for her. "Everything go okay?" I asked as she sat.

  "Yes. Now tell me what you know."

  "Let me get you a drink first." When I came back with her vodka cranberry, I said, "Actually, we should probably not be around people when I tell you."

  "Well, they are still taking pictures, so let's walk down to the water or something," she suggested.

  "Yeah." I reached out my hand and helped her stand, and then handed her the drink. I didn't get myself one in case I needed to stop her from doing something crazy, and I needed to be somewhat sober.

  She took several big sips of the tart drink until it was empty. "Ready."

  I didn't let go of her hand as we made our way toward the water. The sun was setting, and once again, I was in awe of how beautiful Fiji was. The Vegas desert had nothing on the tropical islands, even with the glitz and glam of The Strip.

  "You know the suspense is killing me, right?"

  "Well, if you hadn’t been sleeping when I got back last night, I would have told you then."

  "You should have woken me up!"

  "Yeah, but the wedding needed to happen."

  She stopped walking and turned to me. "What does that mean?"

  I looked back and figured we were far enough away from anyone hearing us. "Last night, when I was walking back to our room, I saw Everleigh and Dougie fighting."

  Ashleigh drew her head back slightly. "Okay?"
/>   "I don't know exactly, but your sister signed some sort of agreement."

  "Like a prenup?"

  I shook my head. "I don't think so, but maybe."

  "That's not really breaking news. I would expect Douglas and his family would make her sign a prenup."

  "But she said something about how he wouldn't let her break up with him."

  "Wouldn't let her break up with him?" Ashleigh repeated.

  I nodded, and with a huge grin said, "And he cheated on her with some chick named Lyssa."

  Her eyes widened. "What?"

  "Are you surprised? He cheated on you."

  She thought for a moment. "I mean, I guess I'm not shocked given he did it to me, but why did Everleigh agree to marry him?"

  "She said something about your parents."

  Ashleigh balked. "My parents?"

  I shrugged. "I didn't hear what that meant, but the agreement was because he had to be married before twenty-six to get his inheritance."

  "So, all of this"—she waved her hand in the direction of the reception—"is fake?"

  "I'd say the marriage is real, but what goes on behind closed doors isn't what anyone expects."

  "But why would she do that?"

  "For your parents or something," I repeated.

  "That doesn't make sense. Yeah, my parents don't have a lot of money, but they aren't living on the streets either."

  "But you said it yourself, whenever you've talked to your parents, the conversation has been all about Everleigh. What if they're hiding something from you?"

  "Why would they do that?" Ashleigh questioned.

  I lifted a shoulder. "I don't know, baby."

  "I need to go ask them." She started to walk away, but I grabbed her wrist.

  "You can't. That's exactly why I wanted to do this in private."

  "But something is going on. I need to find out. What if my parents need my help?"

  I hated to say my next words, but there was obviously something going on that they didn't want her to know. "Then they would have come to you."

  Her brown eyes stared back at me as though I had hurt her. As though I was the reason her family was keeping her in the dark. My heart ached to think of ever hurting her. I barely knew Ashleigh, but I cared deeply for her and wanted only the best for her. I wanted her to get all of her answers, and that was what I was trying to help her with, not be the cause of more questions. Ashleigh had gotten her apology from Everleigh, but she was still hurting.